Telaga Warna

Long long ago there was a kingdom in Java. The kingdom was ruled by a king. People called their king His
Majesty Prabu. Prabu was a kind and wise king. No wonder if that country was prosperous. There’s no hunger
in this kingdom. It was a very happy condition. But it was a pity that Prabu and his queen hadn’t got any
children. It made the royal couple very, very sad.
Queen : (crying) hu hu hu
Prabu : Why are you crying, honey?
Queen : It’s been long time waiting. I want a baby for us. Don’t you want the same?
Prabu : Oh. We have the same hope. Please stop crying. I’ll consult our advisors in this kingdom. No
worries. Okay?

Some old men and women respected by Prabu suggested the king to adopt a child. But Prabu and the queen
didn’t agree.
Prabu : No, thank you. For us, our own daughter or son is better than adopted children.”

The queen was very sad. She often cried. That was why Prabu decided to go. He went to the jungle. There he
prayed to God. Every day, he begged for a child. His dream came true. A few months later, the queen got
pregnant.
Queen : Oh, Thank God. I’m so happy now. I wish all the best in this pregnancy.

Nine months later a princess was born. People sent their presents again as a gift to a little princess. Then, the
baby grew as a beautiful girl.
Princess : Dad, Can I have new shoes and clothes?
Prabu : Of course, dear. All you want is available for you.
Princess : Mom, May I have new bicycle?
Queen : Why not? We prepare all you need. No worries, sweety.
Prabu and Queen loved their daughter so much. They gave whatever she wanted. Unfortunately, the princess
grew up into a very spoiled girl. When her wish couldn’t be realized, she became very angry. She even said bad
things often. A true princess wouldn’t do that.
Princess : Can I have satay for lunch, mom?
Queen : Okay, dear. But wait for a moment. I’ll get the servants prepare for it.
Princess : What??? No no no. I want it now, no delay. Okay?
Even though the princess behaved badly, her parents loved her, so did the people in that kingdom.

Day by day, the princess grew more beautiful. No girls could compare with her. In a few days, Princess would
be 17 years old. So, people of that kingdom went to palace. They brought many presents for her. Their gifts
were very beautiful. Prabu collected the presents. There were really many presents. Then Prabu stored them in a
building. Sometimes he could take them to give to his people.

Prabu only took some gold and jewels and made a beautiful necklace for his daughter. He wanted to create the
most beautiful necklace in the world because he loved his princess.
The birthday came. People gathered in the palace field. When Prabu and queen appeared, people welcomed
them happily. Prabu and his wife waved to their beloved people.
Princess : (coming beautifully) Oh, Dad, what is that?
Prabu : My beloved daughter, today I give this necklace to you. This necklace is a gift from people in
this country. They love you so much. They presented it for you to express their happiness
because you have growing to a woman. Please, wear this necklace.
Princess : (taking the necklace, looking at glance) I don’t want to accept it! It’s ugly! (Throwing the
necklace)
The beautiful necklace was broken. The gold and jewels were spread out on the floor.

Everybody couldn’t say anything. They never thought that their beloved princess would do that cruel thing.
Nobody spoke. In their silence people heard the queen crying. Every woman felt sad and began crying too.
Then everybody was crying.
Then there was a miracle. Earth was crying. Suddenly, from the underground, a spring emerged. It made a pool
of water. The palace was getting full. Soon the place became a big lake. The lake sank all of the kingdom.
People called the lake “Talaga Warna”. It is mean “Lake of Colour”. It’s located in Puncak, West Java. On a
bright day, the lake is full of colour. So beautiful and amazing. These colors come from shadows of forest,
plants, flowers, and sky around the lake. But some people said that the colours are from the princess’s necklace,
which spreads at the bottom of the lake.
From this story, we can take some moral values: appreciate others, don’t be spoiled child, everything is
possible, etc. I hope we can take some lessons for us.